


Everything I Need

by findtherightwords



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Confessions, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Ignores Under the Highwind because people get different outcomes, Post Advent Children, Spoilers for Advent Children, Tooth rooting sweetness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27768589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/findtherightwords/pseuds/findtherightwords
Summary: Cloud and Tifa get some alone time after the events of Advent Children, and Cloud is ready to make a confession.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Everything I Need

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Advent Children and just wanted to give them a more concrete ending. Also, the title is inspired by a Cloti video to the same name (and song of the same name.)

The world could  _ finally _ begin to properly heal. The people could begin to heal. Everyone thought that after Meteor had been destroyed by Holy that things would begin to return to normal, and to an extent, they did. With the exception of all the Midgar refugees, a lot of the world was unbothered by the effects of Meteor, though some had taken damage due to WEAPON. It was Midgar that was affected the hardest, so much so that a new city was created on the edge, aptly named for its location. 

What halted life from truly returning to a normalcy they knew, or creating a new normal, was Geostigma. It took lives, and for those who remained alive, it put them in pain and anguish. They were also shunned by society from the people uneducated in how it spread. But the planet - and to Tifa’s understanding, Aerith’s spirit – came to their rescue once more, providing water from the lifestream to cure those infected. The Geostigma was gone, as was what seemed to be the final remnants of Sephiroth and Jenova. The people affected could find their place in the new world. 

Tifa felt a great relief for all of it to be over. Two people she cared about had been infected with the stigma, and now they were free of their disease. Not only was Cloud cured of the Geostigma, but he also seemed lighter emotionally. She didn’t know what happened when he went to the Forgotten City, but he’d already come back from that looking better. Now that he defeated Sephiroth for good, it was another weight off his shoulders. She was happy to see more of her best friend back and hoped that meant they could be a proper family. The two of them, Marlene, if Barret still had things to do, and Denzel. 

Once they were done at the pool of lifestream water in the church, they made their way back to the bar. The members of their friend group that didn’t usually reside in Edge planned on staying, at least for the night, and they came together for a celebratory dinner. It was nice to have everyone together again, and it proved what was said when they were parted; they weren’t required to be together all the time to still be friends. The bond was still there. There was laughing so hard it made tears come out of their eyes, and a few tears shed for other reasons. Still, everyone felt like family. 

The four of them were left alone once the night began to come to a close and both Marlene and Denzel called it a night. It left just Cloud and Tifa together. “How are you feeling?” she asked as she sat down on her bed. They shared a room but had their own beds to give them space. 

Cloud seemed to ponder his answer. “Better than I have in a long time, honestly.” He looked over her and opened his mouth a few times to try and figure out how to say what he was trying to get out. “But I also need to apologise to you, Tifa. I haven’t been fair to you these past few years.” 

Her brows rose at that, not expecting it at all. “What do you mean?” she asked, wanting them to be on the same page. To say he had things to apologise for felt cruel, she knew he wasn’t doing it to be unkind or to hurt her, he was simply dealing with his own emotions. And she’d been the one to encourage him to take up the delivery business full time, so she couldn’t complain about him being gone a lot. How  _ frequently _ he was gone, perhaps.. 

“I had things I needed to work through, and in being so focused on myself, I neglected your feelings,” he began. “I wasn’t here for you, physically, or as a support system. So much so that even Marlene thought I didn’t care about you all anymore... And I hid things from you. I should’ve told you about the Geostigma,” he said. He shifted to sit next to her. “I’m sorry that I put you through all of it.”

She rested a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. “I forgive you.” This kind of situation wasn’t an appropriate one to say it was okay, because despite how much she understood why he did what he did, that didn’t make it  _ okay _ . He knew that now. “We can look forward, and at the now, not in the past.” 

He nodded. “You asked me which I choose; a memory, or our family… And I want to choose our family. To choose you,” he said. 

It meant a lot to hear him call them family. She’d done it a number of times, and he’d mentioned his family, but this was more direct. It wasn’t conventional, she and Cloud weren’t together, Marlene wasn’t their daughter or even adopted daughter, and Denzel wasn’t their child either. But it still worked out, the way the four of them were. “I have a sense of what she meant to you because I know what she meant to me. But I’m glad you finally got closure,” she said. She didn’t need to say a name for them to both know who she was talking about.

He nodded, letting out a breath. “I am too.”

Tifa leaned over, gently resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m also glad to have you home,” she confessed. She knew she’d been the one to encourage him to do deliveries, so she felt bad for wanting him back more, but she hadn’t realised how often he’d be gone. 

He stroked along her hair and down her back. “I’ll be around more often,” he promised. They stayed like that for a few moments of silence before he spoke up again. “Tifa?”

She lifted her head to look at him. “What is it?” 

The look he gave her showed that he had a million things he wanted to say at that moment, and he could decide on which one to voice. Rather than speak, he leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. It caught her off guard, despite watching him lean closer, but she pulled herself together and leaned into it. They both let it linger before Cloud broke it, only to rest their foreheads together. “I’ve always wanted to be what you deserved. I felt so much guilt and regret these past few years and thought you deserved better.”

Tifa tried not to frown. “And what about what I  _ want _ ?” She’d known for a while what she wanted, but she never knew if the feelings were mutual. 

He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, stroking along it gently. “I’m trying to take that into account now,” he said. “If for some reason you want a guy with a chaotic head and a messed up past.” 

Her lips quirked slightly, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. “You’re amazing, Cloud. More than you give yourself credit for. I just don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for.” While they’d gotten closer, she didn’t think that meant he was automatically ready to start a relationship. 

“I think I’m finally ready to be some semblance of the man you deserve to be. If you’ll have me,” he said, watching for her reaction.

Her smile grew a bit. “I thought you’d never asked,” she said, teasing him lightly. “We can take it slow if you need. There’s no rush.” 

He returned the smile, kissing her softly. “Have I told you lately you’re the best?” 

“Possibly. But you’re welcome to tell me again,” she teased, her smile full now.

Cloud laughed softly, squeezing her sides gently, which caused her to jump and laugh. “I’ll remind you every day if I have to,” he said, closing the distance between them and kissed her deeply. 

Once she settled from the tickling, she melted into the kiss, cupping his cheeks. “You’re pretty great yourself,” she murmured, not bothering to pull away. There was one thing they didn’t take slowly, which was wasting no time with their physical desires. 

As it got late, the curled up in the same bed, Cloud pulling the covers over them. They could worry about clothes later, for now, they both needed sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> NGL I'm tempted to write an NSFW part 2 (though it'd probably be part of a "series" rather than an actual Chapter 2, because then I'd have to label this as Explicit.) If that's something you're interested in, let me know.   
> Comments make my week.


End file.
